Endurance
by Serena530
Summary: Takes place after Eldest. Who is the third dragon rider? Does Eragon get a new weapon? Does Katrina live? How does Eragon's training go? Will Arya ever return Eragon's feelings? Read and find out!
1. Chapter 1 Eragon’s Internal Struggles

**Disclaimer: I did not come up with any of the characters, places, names or anything else in the world of the Inheritance Cycle. All of that was the great mind of Christopher Paolini. I wish I had a genuis mind like his.**

"_Text_" speaking in the mind

_Text_ thinking to ones-self

"Text" speaking out loud

_**Text**_ Saphira speaking

**Text** dragon speaking

**Eragon's Internal Struggles**

Eragon sat on a cot in his tent, after bidding his cousin Roran a goodnight, trying not to think about the events of the battle at the Burning Plans. Tried, but failed miserably. His body was exhausted but his mind refused to rest. He couldn't stop himself from seeing Hrothgar's death, from seeing Murtagh and his dragon. _His dragon_! Eragon thought to himself. He couldn't believe that Murtagh was a dragon rider even though he had seen it with his own eyes, and that he was fighting for Galbatorix. He was also finding it difficult to cope with Murtaghs revelations. Murtagh had told Eragon that when the twins learned that Selena was both his and Eragon's mother they put two and two together which made Morzan his father. "_I still can't believe that he's my father_." Saphira, who lay stretched out in front of his tent, decided to keep silent for the moment and let him speak. "_I mean he just can't be, and Murtagh is my brother_." He sighed as he began to remove his armor. "_I can't handle this. I just can't handle this. It's too much_." _**Don't think about it right now little one. I can feel how exhausted you are; you should get some rest**_. Saphira was of course right. He was exhausted and tired both physically and emotionally, but he couldn't stop his thoughts from racing.

He lay back on his cot and starred at the ceiling as he did his best to push away all thoughts of Murtagh and Morzan only to have them replaced with thoughts of Arya. He remembered the way she looked him in the eye and her words to him. He appreciated her words greatly, both hers and Nasuada, but Arya's words and actions mattered more to him. Eragon sighed and closed his eyes. He needed to stop thinking about Arya; thoughts of her were just as painful as the ones of his relation to Murtagh and Morazan. He let out a soft bitter laugh. _No. They're more painful and you know it_. He sighed again. _I don't want to think about her. It hurts. But…. I can't help it. I wonder what she's doing right now. Probably getting some rest, which is what I should be doing. There has got to be a way to stop myself from thinking about her. If I think about her too much the pain from the Blood Oath Celebration will come back. Who am I kidding? It's already starting to come back. I don't want to feel this pain._ He thought to himself. He shook his head trying to clear it of thought as he breathed deeply and willed his heart to slow. "_Goodnight Saphira. I'll heal your wounds as soon as I'm able to_." _**Rest well little one**_. And with that he slipped into his trance-like sleep.

Eragon increased his heartbeat and rose late the next afternoon. He had felt the activities of the camp begin in the morning, but he was not ready to rise himself since he had not fully recovered his strength. He knew that Roran had come to see him, and that Saphira informed him that he was still resting. As he stood to stretch he immediately felt Saphira in his mind. _**Did you rest well?**_ "_I did. Were you able to rest well enough with your wounds?_" _**I was able to rest well which is more than I can say for many of the warriors here**_. "_Was Roran okay when he came earlier?_" he asked as he stepped outside the tent and began to examine her wounds. _**He was disappointed that you were not yet awake and sad, but I guess he will continue to be sad until we rescue Katrina**_. "_Aye. That is true_." He said as he healed her wounds. _I feel so dirty_. He thought with a sigh. "_How about we go for a swim and get ourselves cleaned up_." He suggested to Saphira. Ever since he began to live with the elves bathing daily had become a habit; one that he did not intend to break especially since he was covered in dirt and blood. I would enjoy that. I need to spread my wings anyway. Eragon went inside the tent and removed his boots, so that he was only wearing just his clothing and his sword belt…the belt of Beloth the Wise. Eragon did not want to risk anything happening to it so he left it on. Then walked out to Saphira. _**Ready**_? "_I'm ready_." And with that he climbed on to her back and they took off toward the nearest water source.

When they returned Eragon jumped from Saphira's back as quickly as possible, so that he could hurry and change his clothing since he was soaked through. "_Saphira? I was thinking that now might be a good time to try and remove the curse from Elva. What do you think?_" he asked as he changed into dry clothes. _**I think that now is as good a time as any. I was hoping that you would try it before we left to rescue Katrina. That child has been through enough**_. "_That is exactly what I was thinking_." He replied as he pulled on his boots and stepped out of the tent and approached her saddle. "_Do you think we should do it near here or take her away from this place? Somewhere where she won't feel anyone's pain?_" _**I think we should take her away from here. Not only so she does not feel anyone's pain, but also so you two don't have an audience when it happens**_. Eragon nodded his head and left her saddle; just then he felt Roran approaching them. "_Roran is coming, and he is not going to be very happy about this_." _**Yes, but he must deal with it. We have responsibilities that we cannot ignore even though we would rather be helping him.**_ Eragon silently agree as he turned to face his cousin.

"Eragon! I've been waiting for you to wake up…. why is your hair wet I thought you were sleeping?" Roran asked in confusion since he knew that Eragon had been asleep just a little while ago. "I woke about an hour ago and Saphira and I went for a swim to clean ourselves up." He said as he took a deep breath through his nose and froze. "_Oh no! Saphira Arya is coming!_" he said in a panicked voice. _**So what?**_ She replied in a confused voice. Eragon had forgotten that he closed his thoughts off from Saphira the night before so that she wouldn't hear him struggling with his thoughts. "_So I just don't want to see her right now. I've been successful in not thinking about her since I woke this afternoon, which means I've been successful in keeping the pain away. I know that the pain will come as soon as I lay eyes on her. In fact I can already feel it; even her scent is enough to bring the pain._" He said sadly as he sighed. Saphira radiated sympathy and understanding through their mental link as she rubbed her head gently against him. "So are you ready? Are we going to be leaving soon?" Roran asked quickly ignoring the sigh he heard from Eragon. "No. I am not ready to leave, and I'm afraid that I won't be ready to leave until at least the day after tomorrow." He said to Roran as he struggled to hide his emotions before Arya appeared. "What?! Katrina could be dying right now! What is so important that we need to wait so long?" he yelled just as Arya appeared.

Eragon sighed and looked to Arya as he placed two fingers to his lips and spoke the elves greeting: Atra esterni ono thelduin. When she responded he finished the greeting and then turned back to Roran. "I must see a young lady…" he began but Roran interrupted him. "A young lady? This is no time for such actions! What are you thinking Eragon?" Eragon sucked in a sharp breath and grimaced at his cousins implied meaning. "It is not what you think Roran. I have a responsibility to her, and I must see to her needs before I am able to do anything else." He responded calmly. Roran was indeed upset. He began to tremble with his anger. "Who is this girl that she should be more important than your own family? Your own blood?" he yelled. Eragon was a little shocked at his words and the force of them and paused before he spoke, but Arya stepped in and spoke. "Eragon. You and Saphira go. I know how important this is; I will do my best to explain the situation to Roran." She said to him as she stepped over to Roran. Eragon's heart pounded painfully in his chest as she spoke to him. "Thank you. Was there something that you wanted to speak to me about." He asked as he wondered why she was there in the first place. "I just came to see how you were doing after last night but it can wait." She said as she looked him in the eye. "Oh." He breathed as he climbed into the saddle. He sighed heavily watching as Arya lead Roran away to give them room to take off and begin to explain the situation involving Elva. "_Lets go find Elva Saphira__**." Everything will be okay little one**_. She said as she took off into the sky.

Well here is the first chapter. Please read and review. Go easy on me please its my first fan fic.


	2. Chapter 2 Removing The Curse

**Disclaimer****: I did not come up with any of the characters, places, names or anything else in the world of the Inheritance Cycle. All of that was the great mind of Christopher Paolini. I wish I had a genius mind like his.**

"_Text_" speaking in the mind

_Text_ thinking to ones-self

"Text" speaking out loud

_**Text**_ Saphira speaking

**Text** dragon speaking

**Removing The Curse**

As Saphira circled the camp Eragon reached out with his mind to find Elva. "_She is there….near Nasuada's tent._" Eragon told Saphira and she began to descend landing near the outer rim of the tents in the camp. Eragon jumped from Saphira's back landing gracefully and began to walk toward Elva's tent with Saphira next to him. Eragon struggled to keep back the feelings that Arya had invoked in him. _Come on Eragon! You don't want to add to Elva's pain so get rid of them already._ He chastised himself. _Easier said than done. _He argued with himself. They reached Elva's tent and she came out immediately giving him a sad look. _I guess I didn't do so well at getting rid of my feelings_. He thought with a sigh. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause you extra pain." He said to Elva. "It can not be helped. Have you come to keep your promise?" she asked him.

"I have. Are you ready?" he asked her as he held out a hand to her. She smiled as she stepped forward and placed her hand in his. He gripped her hand and led her to the saddle. "Saphira and I thought it best to take you away from here, so that you don't feel everyone's pain and suffering. And also so that we don't have people watching us." He said as he helped her in the saddle. "Wow. I've never flown with a dragon before. I never thought I would." Eragon smiled. "Well in that case I hope that you enjoy this experience." _**Yes I hope you do as well**_. Saphira added as Eragon stepped away. "I'm going to tell Lady Nasuada what I am about to do." He informed them and then headed for her red pavilion.

"I need to speak to Lady Nasuada right now." He said in a calm yet commanding voice to the two guards standing watch. One of them entered her pavilion and Eragon listened as he informed her of what Eragon said and her answer in the affirmative. The guard returned and held one flap of the pavilion open for him. Eragon thanked him and walked in and greeted her. "Eragon! This is unexpected. How are you fairing since everything happened last night?" Nasuada asked him. "I am doing well." He said. Nasuada regarded him uncertainly, but didn't say anything. "So Eragon why have you come?" she asked him. "I wanted to let you know that I am going to attempt to remove the curse from Elva, and I have no idea how long we will be gone or in what condition we will be in when we do return." He said to her as he watched her gaze go from steady to worried. Eragon wouldn't have informed her, but he knew that she had been relying on Elva's help in avoiding her enemies and keeping somewhat safe.

"Do as you must Shadeslayer." She said as she began to turn around. "I also wanted to let you know that Roran has asked for my help in rescuing his fiancé from the Ra'zac, and I will do so when I am certain that Elva is alright." He said to her in a steady confident voice. She may be his liege lord but he is his own commander, his own authority figure. "I understand Eragon. He is your cousin and the battle is over for now. Just be careful." She said with a sigh. She could tell by the tone of his voice that refusing him was not an option. Not to mention that he came to tell her not to ask her permission. "I will." He said and with that he bowed and returned to Saphira and Elva.

He climbed into the saddle behind Elva and Saphira began to take off. He was conscious of the fact that many of the soldiers wondered what he was doing with the child, and was startled by the range of thoughts that came from them. Some were nice, some were embarrassing and others were down right disgusting and he grimaced as Saphira headed for the nearest forest. Saphira showed him an image of the spot she had in mind. It was a wide clearing covered in rich green grass with large trees to the left and a downhill slope to the right, and it was very far away from the camp. "_That looks like a good place."_ He said to Saphira and she began to descend to that area. When she had landed she lay flat on the ground, and Eragon slid off and then turned and helped Elva down. "Did you enjoy the ride?" he asked her as they walked a few feet away and sat down in the grass. "It was amazing, but I've been wondering if I'll even remember it if this works." She said in soft tone.

"_That's a very good point."_ He said to Saphira. _"I was wondering that myself. Do you think that she will be okay? I mean assuming that this works properly_." Saphira thought for a moment then said _**I'm not sure what will happen, but I don't think it will be bad. What ever it is we will deal with it when the time comes**_. Eragon nodded his head and took a deep breath. "Well if you don't remember it doesn't matter much since I'm sure that you'll get another chance." He said to Elva with a smile. "So..are you ready?" She smiled and nodded her head. "Okay then lets get started." He said as he closed his mind to all but Saphira. He then reached for the magic within him and let it course through his body. He placed a hand on her forehead and said a long phrase in the ancient language. He let his magic flow from him to her and concentrated all his energy on her. After a few minutes he began to feel a change in her, so he closed his eyes and focused even more on her.

He could feel Saphira giving him her energy to help, and after another few minutes he felt that the change in Elva was complete and stopped his flow of magic. He then opened his eyes and looked at her. "How do you feel? Can you feel any pain?" he asked her. She didn't feel any pain immediately, so she tried focusing on Eragon but could feel nothing. "I don't feel anything. I mean I don't feel any pain." She said as she sat there for a moment then she got up and started to run in circles around him and Saphira. "It worked! It worked!" she shouted happily. Eragon gave a weak smile as he watched her run around happily. _**Eragon? We should go. You need to rest**_. Saphira said to him. "_Yeah…your right_." He said to Saphira. "Elva lets go back now." He called to her as he got up and stood next to Saphira. Elva came and he helped her into the saddle then climbed up himself and they took off.

Eragon was quiet as they flew. _Oh I'm so tired. I seriously need to rest. I hope Roran doesn't think that we're leaving as soon as we get back, because if he does then he's got another thing coming._ He thought to himself. He then noticed that his grip on Elva wasn't as tight as before. _I must be really tired if I can't even keep a tight hold on her._ He thought to himself and just as he finished that thought it hit him. "_Saphira? Elva is changing back into a baby!_" he said to her. _**Then I will slow down so that neither of you falls**_. She said to him as came nearer and nearer to the camp.

By the time they reached the camp Elva was baby again, and resting comfortably in his arms. Saphira landed as gently and carefully as possible so that she didn't harm or scare Elva_. I can't believe that she changed back into a baby. I mean I knew that something was going to happen, but I didn't expect this at all_. He thought to himself as he slid from the saddle and landed on the ground in front of their tent. As Eragon walked into the tent he knew that he should inform Roran, Nasuada, Arya, and Elva's guardian that they had returned, but all he wanted to do was lay down and get some much needed rest. _**Don't worry little one. I'm sure that they saw us fly over the camp, so they probably already know that we have returned.**_ She reassured him. He knew that she was probably right, so he lay down on his cot and laid Elva on top of his chest. She was already on her way to sleep, so he figured they could rest together until he had the strength to take her back to her guardian.

I wrote this chapter for the person who put my story on story alert. I was completely shocked by that, but also happy. I would have updated sooner, but I had homework to do and a final exam to study for. Well I still have a final exam to study for but no more homework. Yay! So I hope you enjoy. Please read and review. Reviews would be nice. Doesn't matter if they are good or bad.


	3. Chapter 3 Eragon's Decision

**Disclaimer****: I did not come up with any of the characters, places, names or anything else in the world of the Inheritance Cycle. All of that was the great mind of Christopher Paolini. I wish I had a genius mind like his.**

"_Text_" speaking in the mind

_Text_ thinking to ones-self

"Text" speaking out loud

_**Text**_ Saphira speaking

**Text** dragon speaking

"_**Text**_" Saphira thinking to herself

**Eragon's Decision**

Eragon lay there starring at the top of his tent as he waited for Elva to fall asleep. He could feel her relaxing more and could tell that her mind was drifting into unconsciousness. He didn't want to be begin his rest until he was sure that she was fast asleep, so that left him with only one thing to do. The one thing that he didn't want to do at all, which was to think. Everything that he thought about these days was painful, so he picked the subject that was pleasurable, but also the most painful of them all….Arya. He wondered if she would ever see him as more than a friend. _A friend! A friend who is too young, too inexperienced in the ways of the world, and has too many responsibilities!_ He thought bitterly as the pain that thoughts of Arya caused him came flooding into him. The pain was so intense that he almost cried out! It felt as if his heart were being slowly torn in two. _Why can't I just get over her?! She has made it clear that she doesn't feel that way about me but I ….I don't know. I just can't seem to get her off my mind. These feelings just won't go away._ He thought sadly as a wave of pain washed over him.

He closed his eyes and tightened his grip on Elva as he felt her stir in her sleep. He was very glad that he and Saphira were able to remove the curse from Elva, because the pain he was currently feeling was just as intense as the pain he felt when Arya had rejected him during the Blood Oath Celebration and was something that he didn't want anyone to feel. Even now he was doing his best to keep it from Saphira, because he really didn't want her to feel it again. Causing her pain was like intentionally hurting himself. That thought led him to wonder if he was causing Arya pain with his feelings for her. _It's not like I can help it. It's not like I have a choice in who I fall for._ He thought to himself with a quiet sad sigh_. It's not everyday that you save a beautiful woman…one you've literally seen in your dreams, become acquainted with her, and then develop major feelings for her. Forget the fact that she's an elf. Living in Elesmera has put me into close contact with a great deal of beautiful elf women, and I have felt nothing for any of them. Not even the slightest crush._ He thought with some wonder. Why was it that he had never had so mush as an affectionate smile for any elf woman other than Arya when any other human male would have been drooling at the mere site of a female elf? He had no answer for that, but hoped that it would come sooner rather than later.

_Why doesn't she like me?!_ He thought frustrated. _Great! Now I'm in pain and I'm frustrated._ He thought as he opened his eyes and looked around his tent. He took in his belongings, the floor, the show of Saphira's body on the tent, and then the crown of Elva's head. _At least she is getting a good sleep. Now that I have opened the floodgates to my thoughts I won't be getting any rest until I have thought everything through_. He thought as he closed his eyes and focused his other thoughts on Arya. _Maybe she doesn't like me because I'm too young. I haven't been in the world long enough or something like that. Maybe its because I'm human! With everything that I've learned so far I know that no human-elf relationship has ever lasted. That story she told me about the Menoa Tree doesn't help either_. He thought painfully. He knew that if Arya gave him a chance that he would never leave her for someone else. His feelings for her were too strong and too deep for such treachery. _Besides! A relationship with some other girl my age, with me being who and what I am, would never work out. It doesn't help when you have deep feelings for another woman. Maybe she feels that she doesn't know me well enough. No…No, no. That couldn't be. Other than Saphira she knows me better than anyone else in the world. Including Roran!_ He thought to himself.

He wasn't getting anywhere with his thoughts of Arya, so he moved on to thoughts about Roran. _I've been the cause of Roran's pain. If it weren't for me Roran and Katrina would be happily married now with their won place. Sloan probably wouldn't be too happy, but so what…he was never nice to my family or me anyway. My uncle would be alive right now…along with half the village_. He thought as sorrow and pain washed over him. Eragon knew that all the negative thoughts he was having were not good for him. He never regretted his decision to keep Saphira, but he couldn't help it. That was just the way his mind was since the whole Murtagh deal. _Murtagh! I still can hardly believe what has happen with him. He's a rider now, and he's on Galbatorix's side at that! The worst part of it is that he chose to stay on his side._

Eragon knew that Murtagh was forced to be a rider, and that Galbatorix knew both his and his dragon's true name. He also knew that Murtagh couldn't disobey him, but he was strongly aware of the fact that Murtagh had a choice and could have taken Eragon's offer of help but refused it. _That's probably my fault too. I don't know how, but it probably is. There had to have been something I could have done to keep him from Galbatorix. Oh! That's right! I could have obeyed his wish not to go to the Varden, but I couldn't just leave him alone with that army of Urgals and Kulls on our tail. I mean what was I suppose to do_. He sighed as he opened his eyes and looked in Saphira's direction. She wasn't asleep but she was resting in front of the entrance to the tent, so that anyone who wanted to see Eragon would have to have her permission and a very good excuse for her to disturb his rest.

Eragon was not only shielding Saphira from his emotional pain but also from his thoughts. He knew that she would show him sympathy for his thoughts about Arya, and have some very strong opinions about his negative thoughts from earlier. But he needed to go through his thoughts on his own without her for once. She was still there in his mind of course since he would never shut her out; she just couldn't hear his thoughts. He then turned his thoughts back to Murtagh and his very unwelcome news. _I can't believe that my father was Morzan, first and last of the forsworn, and my brother is Murtagh. Up until the other day I would have welcomed having Murtagh as my brother, but with his decision to stick with Galbatorix I just….I just can't picture it anymore. As for my father…I use to dream about who he might be and hoped that one day I might meet him and get to know him, but I never imagined in even my wildest dreams that my father would have been one of the forsworn. Let alone Galbatorix's right-hand man!_ He would have shuddered at the thought if he weren't afraid of waking Elva.

After the revulsion of that thought passed he sighed. _All these thoughts about Arya, Roran, Murtagh, and my fath…and Morzan are just so painful and sad. I don't want to be in pain anymore._ He cried out in his mind. _It's just too much! How am I suppose to do what I must if I can't function properly because of I'm an emotional wreck from the pain and sadness of what happening in my life?!_ He thought in frustrated anger with sadness and bitterness mixed in. He then let his mind drift as he wondered what to do about his dilemma. As he wondered what to do he felt a presence approaching his tent. He focused on the person's thoughts and found it to be Roran. _I guess he thought a few hours would be enough to remove the curse and rebuild my strength_. He thought with a sigh. But I can't fault him for that if that that is the case. _I know he just wants to rescue the love of his life before something fatal happens to her_. He thought as he saw Roran's shadow near Saphira's. He knew that Saphira wouldn't let him in, because she was aware that he hadn't rested yet.

Saphira's POV

Saphira watched as Eragon entered the tent with Elva, and knew that he worried about informing everyone of their arrival back at camp. So she reassured him by saying _**Don't worry little one. I'm sure that they saw us fly over the camp, so they probably already know that we have returned. **_After that she stretched out in front of the tent entrance so that if anyone wished to speak to Eragon they would have to get her permission. She wouldn't allow anyone into the tent until she was sure that Eragon was fully rested no matter what their excuse was. That is anyone except Arya, and she made sure that he didn't know she would do that. She knew his feelings for Arya, because she could feel them herself, and knew that even though it was painful to see and think of her that he would still like to talk to her because he's in love with her. "_**Not that he would know that. He knows that he likes her and that those feelings are not going away, but he doesn't know, doesn't understand that what he is feeling is love**_." She sighed as she closed her eyes. "_**He'll figure it out soon. With the pain that he feels when he sees her and thinks about her I can tell that his love for her is growing; regardless of what she says about only seeing him as a friend**_." She thought to herself.

As time went by she began to worry about Eragon. She could tell that he wasn't resting but she couldn't hear his thoughts or feel his emotions. "_**He must be thinking about Arya and doesn't want me to feel his pain. I wish he would let me share it with him so that she doesn't have to suffer alone**_." She knew that he was probably thinking about Murtagh and Morzan as well, but didn't want to voice it to herself. She then heard someone approaching and sniffed the air. "_**Roran**_." She thought, as he got closer. "_**He probably wants to know if Eragon has rested enough or maybe he just wants to talk to him.**_" She concluded as he stepped up to her.

_**Good afternoon Roran. How may I help you? **_She asked without opening her eyes. "How did you know that it was me?" he asked her. She opened one eye to look at him and noticed that he looked sad even though he was probably trying to hide it.

_**I recognized your scent**_. She said as she blinked her eyes.

"Oh. Well I just wondered how Eragon was doing, and I wanted to apologize to him for my behavior earlier." He said to her.

_**He's very tired and still resting at the moment. I know that we're on a very tight schedule, but give him time to rest so he's at his best. He'll come to you when he has rested enough**_. She said to him softly, almost in a motherly way.

"Okay. Thank you Saphira. I'm…I'm sorry for disturbing your rest." He was truly sorry for interrupting her rest, and he was feeling ashamed about his behavior from earlier. _**You're welcome and don't worry about it. I except to be interrupted when I put myself in front of his tent entrance**_. She said with a small chuckle. He laughed and walked off. "_**At least I was able to make him laugh. I hope that Eragon will be as easy to make laugh when he is ready to talk**_." She thought with a sigh. "_**I have a bad feeling about whatever he's thinking about. He hasn't kept me from hearing his thoughts in a long time.**_" She thought worriedly as she closed her eye.

Eragon's POV

Eragon listened to Saphira and Roran's conversation, and smiled when he heard Roran laugh. He couldn't even remember the last time he heard him laugh, but he knew that it was real and not forced. _Hopefully when we rescue Katrina he'll smile and laugh laugh more._ He thought and then remembered that he was the root of Roran's unhappiness. He then felt a new wave of pain and sadness at that fact, and began to wonder again about what he could do to stop what he was feeling. _I have to stop it. I have to stop the pain and sadness otherwise I'll be of no use to Roran, the Varden, the Elves, or the Dragons_. He thought with a sigh. _But what to do. All of the pain usually starts when I think about…. _His thoughts abruptly stopped as an idea came to him. _That's it! I'll stop those thoughts. It's clearly not enough for me to tell myself not to think about Arya or Roran or anything else that causes me pain. I have to stop the thoughts altogether. Lock them away along with painful memories, so that I can go on with my life and do what is required of me._ He thought with resolution.

"_Saphira?_" he called her in his mind so that he could inform her of his decision. _**I'm here little one.**_ She answered. "_I've decided to lock away my painful memories, and all thoughts of everything that causes me pain_." He said and then paused for a moment. "_Well I'm going to try and lock away my painful thoughts, but definitely my painful memories_." He finished and began to search his mind for all the thoughts that caused him pain. _**Little one…I'm not sure that this is a good idea. What if something goes wrong?**_ She asked him worriedly. He sighed and began to wonder about that too as he continued to search his memories. _What if something does go wrong and I lock my memories away forever? But what about the pain? I would be free of the pain that they cause me. I think I'm willing to take that chance. I'll deal with the consequences when and if they come._ He thought to himself. "_I'm willing to take that chance if I can stop the pain and the emotional rollorcoaster that is my thoughts. If I don't do something about what's going on in my head then I won't be able to help anyone. What kind of a rider would I be if I can't even help myself?_" he asked her.

Saphira was quiet for a few moments as she took in his words and watched his memories flash through her mind. They really were painful memories and it crushed her every time when they would be triggered by something that someone said or did or a when he smelled something that reminded him of one of those memories, and she would have to watch him struggle through the sadness and pain. He was never alone in those moments, but that did not lessen the pain. _**If this will help you…keep you from experiencing the pain that you have been feeling, then I hope that this works out. I will be here to help you always, so we will not worry about the 'what if's' until we have to**_. She assured him. "_Thank you Saphira_." He said as he took a deep breath and shift Elva on his chest since she was slipping to the side. "_Time to get this done_." He said as he finished gathering all the painful memories in his mind. There were so many of them; overwhelming him to the point where he was crying silent tears of agony.

His uncles death, Brom's death, the state he found Arya in when he rescued her from that prison, Ajihad's death, Murtagh's disappearance, the pain of the scar Durza had given him, Arya's rejection of him at the Blood Oath Celebration, Hrothgar's death, Murtagh's betrayal, Morzan being his father, the hardships that his village had been put through because of him. All those memories and more were about to be locked away in a far corner of his mind. He relaxed his mind and took all those painful memories and thoughts and pushed them to the farthest reaches of his mind, and through sheer will power and determination forced them to stay put. He then put up a mental door between him those thoughts and memories, and ran away from them as fast as he could. His eyes then shot open and he looked at the top of his tent, and tried to call up one of those memories and found that he couldn't. He smiled a small smile and wiped the tears from his face. "_It is done_." He said to Saphira as the smile began to fade from his face. He felt different and knew that he would be able to do what he must from now on.

"_I'm going to rest now Saphira_." He said as he closed his eyes and slowed his heartbeat. _**Rest well Eragon.**_ Saphira said softly. She could feel the difference in him and she was already worried about it. She wasn't quite sure what it was yet, but she knew that she would find out some time soon and that it probably wouldn't be too good.

**Author's Note: Sorry for taking so long to post this. My excuse is as follows…. I had to study for a final exam in the beginning of the month, then there was Christmas shopping, wrapping gifts, then babysitting my very young niece and nephew, and then I was just too lazy. Love my excuses don't you. LOL. Well anyway again I am so very sorry for the long wait you had to endure if you were waiting. I hope that my laziness doesn't keep me away for that long for the next chapter**.


	4. Chapter 4 Setting Out

**Disclaimer****: I did not come up with any of the characters, places, names or anything else in the world of the Inheritance Cycle. All of that was the great mind of Christopher Paolini. I wish I had a genius mind like his.**

"_Text_" speaking in the mind

_Text_ thinking to ones-self

"Text" speaking out loud

_**Text**_ Saphira speaking

**Text** dragon speaking

"_**Text**_" Saphira thinking to herself

**Setting Out**

Eragon sat in his mind as he rested. He didn't wander among his memories as he use to; he just sat there in the void not thinking or remembering. As he sat in the void he was vaguely aware of what was going on around him since he was concentrating on the fact that he was finally getting a peaceful rest. A rest that wasn't tainted with sad memories and thoughts. Of course he had good happy memories, but most of them would trigger the sad ones so they too were locked away.

Although vaguely aware of what was going on around him Eragon suddenly began to notice a nice smell. It was the fragrance of freshly crushed pine needles, and he watched in wonder as his black void slowly turned into a soft dark green forest. _Arya_. He thought softy. _She's the only one who smells like this, although her mother has a similar scent. She must be close, very close_. He thought as he sped up his breathing and quickened his heartbeat.

"Hello Arya." He said as he slowly opened his eyes. He quickly became aware of the pain slowly drifting to his heart. "Hello Eragon-elda." He heard her say.

"_Saphira?!_" He called to her in his mind. _**I could not refuse her; I had to let her in**_. she said to him. "_You didn't let Roran in when he came_." Eragon said, insistent. _**It is different with Arya because of your feelings for her, and because I like her. Besides she wanted to see you; it didn't matter that you were resting she just wanted to see you**_. She finished softly. "_Really?_" he said amazed and feeling a little warm inside. "_No! No…it doesn't matter_." He said, quickly stopping those feelings. He wasn't going to get excited just because she wanted to see him.

"What brings you here?" he asked Arya in the ancient language as he shifted Elva on his chest. He always spoke to Arya in the ancient language unless there were those around who didn't speak it. "I came before you left with Elva to see how you were doing after the battle; that is why I am here now." Arya said. He could feel her eyes on him, but he was not ready to look at her yet.

"And how am I doing?" he asked her as he starred at the top of his tent. "You are fine physically, but something about you is different. I sensed it before you left, but it is even stronger now." She said then added after a brief pause. "Eragon what is the matter?"

_What is the matter?_ He repeated bitterly in his mind. _Only everything_. He thought then avoided her question by asking one of his own. "How do you know I'm not suppose to act this way? I'm growing up; perhaps I am maturing." He said.

"Perhaps." She said slowly as Elva made a whimpering sound in her sleep, and began to squirm around on Eragon's chest.

Eragon looked down at the top of Elva's head, and shifted her head so that it lay over his heart. He then began to rub her back gently knowing that that action as well as the rhythm of his heart would settle her back into sleep.

"You handled that well." Arya said softly, not wanting to disturb Elva as she watched Eragon rub her back. He looked at her for the first time since he realized she was there, and felt the pain in his heart intensify. "It was instinctive." He said just as softly as he quickly looked away.

"_Saphira it hurts. It hurts so much. I can't even look at her without feeling this pain."_ He said to Saphira as he trained his eyes on the top of his tent again. _**I know little one. Why won't you let me share it with you?**_ She asked him. "_Because I don't want you to have to feel this pain. You had to feel it during the Blood Oath Celebration, and that was enough for a lifetime. This pain is not as intense, but still…you should not have to feel it_." He said to her. She knew that she could not persuade him to change his mind, so she stayed silent on the matter.

They sat there for a while not saying anything as they listened to the sounds around them. Eragon wondered why Arya hadn't said anything. He didn't really have anything to say, and what he wanted to say he knew that she didn't want to hear and he wouldn't allow himself to say it anyway.

_Why…why is she here? The longer she's here the harder it is to hide my emotions_. He thought as she tried to ignore the scent coming from her. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest; hear it like a drum in his ear in reaction to Arya's presence and scent.

"Eragon let me take Elva back to her guardian, so that you can rest properly." Arya said to him and he looked at her briefly before looking at Elva. _Will she be all right?_ He wondered with a slight frown. "You will be able to see her anytime you want. You know this." She reassured him.

_**She is right little one. You don't have to worry about her tonight, and you can check on her tomorrow before you see Roran**_. Saphira said to him. "Okay." He said to Arya as he carefully sat up then stood up as Arya stepped closer to him. He kept his face blank as he carefully placed Elva in Arya's arms then stepped back.

Eragon stood there watching Arya as she walked to the tent entrance. "Goodnight, and thank you for coming to see me." He said in a calm voice just as she was about to step out. She turned her head sharply and looked at him for a long moment before she spoke. "Goodnight Eragon. Rest well." She said in a slightly worried voice then left.

_So maybe my voice wasn't calm. Okay it wasn't calm at all._ He thought as he lay down on his cot. _**You're right. It sounded flat**_. Saphira said to him as she made herself comfortable in front of his tent entrance.

"_Really? I thought I sounded weird_." He said to her as he closed his eyes. "_I didn't mean to, but there is nothing I can do about it now_." He said as he began to slow his heart. "_You get some rest too, Okay Saphira_?" He said as he slowed his breathing. _**I will. Rest well little one.**_ She said to him.

_She sounded worried. I wonder why_. was the last thought he allowed himself before he began his rest in the black void that was now his mind.

* * *

It was mid afternoon when Eragon quickened his heart and his breathing as he finished resting. He sat up without opening his eyes and took his boots off. He then stood and walked to the entrance of his tent as he thought about bathing. _I want to bath, but what I really want is to feel the cool water and lose myself in it._ He thought as he stepped out of his tent and opened his eyes.

He already knew that Saphira wasn't there when he woke, so it wasn't a surprise when he didn't find her stretched out in front of his tent.

As he looked around he let his mind expand in search of Saphira, and was quickly bombarded with the thoughts of the many people around him.

"Look he's finally awake.", "Shade slayer, there he is.", "He sleeps late doesn't he? I guess he's allowed.", "I haven't seen him around. I wonder what he's been doing.", "Why doesn't he have boots on?" came some of the close thoughts he picked up before he felt Saphira's mind enter his.

She sent him an image of her flying high above the camp, and he looked up quickly. When he spotted her in the sky his face softened, and a smile lit his face. She knew what he wanted and he watched as she began to descend toward the ground.

Eragon knew that she wouldn't land; that she wanted to try something that they had never attempted before. He wanted to try it too, but didn't mention it because he thought that she might think it would be too dangerous. "_I guess we really do think a like_." He said to her as he watched her get closer and closer. _**Yes we do and it **__**is**__** dangerous, but I think we could pull it off with some practice.**_ She said.

"_Lets find out how much practice_." He said as he began to run in the direction she was headed. He didn't have to look up as he ran since she was sending him images of how close she was, and because he could hear the sound of her wings beating and see her shadow slightly.

Saphira then flew low and passed over him. As she did this Eragon jumped high and grabbed a spike on the end of her tail and held on tightly as she ascended higher and higher in the sky.

As she flew he carefully climbed on top of her tail, and began to crawl along the spikes on her back until he reached the space between her neck and her back. Once he was seated safely he spoke to her.

"_That wasn't so bad for our first try_." He said to her with excitement in his voice. _**That's true, but I have a feeling that the landing we have in mind won't go so easy.**_ She said as she approached the river.

Eragon sighed in agreement. "_How about we hold off on that until after we help Roran rescue Katrina. I would hate to hurt myself during our little experiment, and not be able to help them._" He said to her. _**That's fine, although I don't believe that you would get that hurt.**_ She said confidently. Eragon chuckled at that. "_Yes well I'm not so confident, and I'd rather not take the chance_." He said as they reached the river.

Saphira flew over the river then circled around and flew lower and lower until they were right above the current. She then folded her wings, dived under the water, and began to swim while Eragon held his breath and kept a good grip so that he wouldn't float away.

She then surfaced when she felt that Eragon needed air, and allowed herself to float on the water. "_That was fun_." He said as he gathered his breath. _**I thought you might like that even though your clothes would get wet.**_ She said as she felt Eragon slip off her and into the water. "_It's no problem; I didn't plan on taking my clothes off anyway_." He said as he dived under the water.

Eragon let himself drift under the water, enjoying the feel of it on his skin when suddenly an image of Arya's worried face entered his mind. _Where did that come from?!_ He thought incredulously as the pain began to flow through him like the water around him.

_Maybe I let the water relax me too much_. He thought trying to find a reason for her face to suddenly enter his mind. _Oh well. I might as well try and figure out what I'm going to do since she's already on my mind_. He thought to himself as he remembered the pain he felt from just her scent and her presence.

He really didn't know what he was going to do. He didn't feel as much pain as he did before he locked up his memories and thoughts, but seeing her and talking to her still caused him pain. He knew that not being able to recall the memories he had of her was good, but the fact that he could make new memories was not helping. And he could always have thoughts about her.

_I just need to not see or talk to her and I'll be okay_. He thought as he surfaced and began to swim against the current. _But I can't just not talk to her, ignore her. I don't want to cause offense or disrespect her. She __is__ princess of the elves and their ambassador_. He continued with his thoughts.

_Perhaps I should try to avoid her. That shouldn't be too hard since Saphira and I will be leaving with Roran soon, but what about before we leave and when we get back?_ He wondered as he swam. _I'll just have to do my best to avoid her. I'll stay clear of where ever she happens to be and I'll be fine. Besides she still only thinks of me as a friend, and doesn't want to hear me spill my feelings again so maybe she'll stay away from me_. He thought as he climbed on to one side of the riverbank and walked in the direction he last saw Saphira in.

After Eragon found Saphira they flew back to his tent and he changed into dry clothes and put his boots on. He then dried his hair and his sword belt that of Beloth the Wise, and put it back on. The only time he would leave that belt unattended was when he and Saphira were back in Ellesmera.

When he was done he decided that he was going to take Saphira's advice and go check on Elva before seeing Roran. "_I'm going to go see Elva before going to Roran_." He said to Saphira as he stepped out of his tent. _**I'll stay here; that way you'll be able to get around quicker.**_ She said to him as she stretched out on her stomach.

"_Alright_." He said as he began to walk in the direction of Elva's tent. _I hope she's okay and that she was able to sleep well._ He thought as he neared her tent. He didn't know what he'd do if it turned out that he screwed up when he was removing the curse. _**Don't worry so much. I'm sure she's fine**_. Saphira said. "_I shouldn't have let Arya take her. I wouldn't be worried if I hadn't._" He said. _**But you needed to rest without having to worry about her, and I'm positive that if anything had gone wrong you would know it by now.**_ She assured him.

Eragon knew she was right, but he wanted to see with his own eyes_. I'll just look in on her real quick, and then go see Roran._ He thought as he came to a stop in front of Elva's tent.

"Excuse me? Would it be okay if I could have a quick visit with Elva?" He called through the tent. He could sense Elva and her guardian within, but it wasn't as if he could knock and it would be rude to just barge in. There was a rustle then out came Elva and her guardian. Elva wore a big smile and giggled as she was held in the arms of her guardian.

Eragon breathed a sigh of relief as he took in her happy face. "She is looking very well; can I hold her?" He asked. "Why yes you can sir." Replied Elva's guardian as she placed Elva in his arms. He smiled when Elva placed her tiny hands on his face, and nibbled at her fingers, which caused a stream of laughter from the infant and himself. _She really is happy and well. Now I don't have to worry so much. I just have to help make this world safe again for her._ He thought as he handed Elva back to her guardian.

"Thank you for letting me visit with her. I can't tell you how worried I've been about her; especially since I removed the curse." He said. "I just wanted to make sure there were no side effects, and that she was doing well." He finished. "She was fast asleep when the dragon egg carrier brought her here last night, and she continued to sleep peacefully during the night. It's the most peaceful I've seen her in months." She said as she looked at Elva's smiling face.

"I'm very glad for that." He said with a relieved sigh. "I must go now. Will you please continue to watch over her?" He asked and she smiled and promised that she certainly would. He would be watching over her with his scrying, but he didn't want to make her uncomfortable with that information. "Thank you." He said with a soft smile then looked to Elva. "Bye. You be good." He said as he gently grasped her little fingers then he began to walk away.

_Now I can tell Roran I'm ready to go._ He thought as he headed in the direction where the villiagers were camped. As Eragon walked his thoughts turned from Elva to Arya. He began to wonder if avoiding Arya would be enough to keep the pain away, and thought that maybe he needed to do something else to make sure it stayed away. _But what else can I do? I've already locked away my memories and thoughts of her. What more is there to…._ His thought trailed off as an idea came to him. _I'll lock my emotions away! That way I won't have to worry about reacting to her, and there won't be anything to interfere with what I need to do as a rider. I would be able to concentrate more during battle without my emotions and feelings getting in the way_. He thought as he remembered the battle and how his concentration had been divided between fighting, protecting everyone he cared about, and worrying about what could happen if he didn't.

_Yes! This is perfect. I'll do the same thing I did with my thoughts and memories_. He thought as he neared the villagers' campsite. _I'll do it now before we leave_. He thought as he stretched out with his mind in search of Roran.

As he walked through the villagers camp many thoughts from the villagers entered his mind, and he was grateful that none of them had seen him walking yet or those thoughts would most likely be about him

After a few minutes of briefly searching the minds around him Eragon came across Roran's thoughts, and found him thinking about what might have happened to Katrina since she was captured. Eragon sighed sadly as he approached Roran's tent; his thoughts were depressing. As Eragon called out in a low, but clear voice he noticed that Roran had the tent to himself.

Roran came out looking sad but hopeful and excited. "You're ready?" Roran asked. "Aye. What about you?" He asked. "I'm ready now; I just need to get my hammer and we can go." Roran said as he turned to go back into his tent, but Eragon stopped him.

"You should tell everyone that we're leaving and say goodbye, so they know what is happening and bid you well. While you're doing that I'll gather what I need and put Saphira's saddle on." Eragon said. He needed to buy a little time for himself, so he could get rid of his emotions. "It's not going to take me that long." Roran said. "I move pretty fast these days." Eragon said with a smile. "Come to my tent when you're done." He said as he began to walk away.

As Eragon headed back to his tent he was able to avoid being seen by the villagers, and decided to avoid the soldiers as well so he wouldn't have to see the looks they gave him or answer any questions they may have. _This will limit my chances of coming across Arya._ He thought with a sigh. He just wanted to concentrate on what he needed to do so he could help Roran save Katrina. He hoped that they made it in time.

Eragon squirted around the backs and sides of tents as he got closer to his when he smelt something that stopped him in his tracks. The scent of freshly crushed pine needles was strong in the air, and he couldn't help it when he breathed deeply. He knew that he wasn't imagining it, but he hoped he was as he peered around a tent to get a good view of his.

Arya was standing there conversing with Saphira. His first thought as he felt the pain travel straight to his heart was why the hell did Saphira not tell him that she was there, and his second thought was of how he was going to get to his tent without looking at her or talking to her.

He looked again at the two ladies closest to his heart and hesitated in going back to his tent_. It might not be too bad if I don't have to talk to her, but who am I kidding? I can't just ignore her when she's right there._ He thought as he stood behind the tent unwilling to move toward his. _This just confirms that I need to get rid of my emotions. I can't just breakdown like this every time I see, talk, sense, or even smell her. I just can't let that happen. I have to do something about these feelings; this pain_. He thought as he took a deep breath and stepped out into the open and walked toward them. He knew that they already knew that he was there.

"_Why didn't you tell me that she was here?_" He asked Saphira with his mind as he walked toward them. _**You were busy with Roran, and I was talking to her**_. She said in an innocent voice. "_Since when has that stopped you from telling me something?! You knew that I would have wanted to know she was here_." He said. _**Yes but you're avoiding her right? So would you have come back or waited until she had gone elsewhere?**_ She asked in an 'I already know the answer' kind of voice.

Eragon sighed; he knew that she was right. He would have delayed in coming back if it meant not seeing Arya, and avoiding the pain that comes with being around her. _I need to hurry up and get this done before Roran comes_. He thought as he stepped up to them and stood next to Saphira.

As he greeted Arya he couldn't help breathing in her scent. He had to struggle to keep his face blank and hold back the groan that threatened to escape him. Her scent was both pleasure and pain, and he placed his hand on the side of Saphira's face drawing strength from her presence to keep himself from moving closer to Arya.

"I came to bring you these." Arya said as she handed him a cluster of perfect arrows with white swan feathers. "I knew how busy you'd been with Elva and everything you have had to deal with, so I gathered them since I knew you would need them on your rescue mission." She finished.

_Oh my god! I can't believe I forgot about these arrows! These were a gift from the Queen!_ He thought franticly as he handled them gently. _**Well you've had a great deal on your mind.**_ Saphira said to him soothingly. "_That I have_." He said with a sigh. _**But I should have remembered.**_ She said slowly and Eragon looked at her. "_You've had a lot on your mind too haven't you? You've been worrying about me, so don't you try to feel bad about something I should have remembered_." He said to her as he looked back to Arya.

"I can't believe you took the time to collect all these. Thank you so much." He said heartfelt as he looked into her deep green eyes. She didn't say anything for a few moments as they looked into each other's eyes. Eragon's heart began to beat faster and he was more aware of the pain flowing through him the longer the silence lasted. He began to feel a falling sensation and was grateful when Arya began to speak. He didn't know what he would do if she continued to hold his gaze as if she were looking for something.

"You are welcome. I know that I can not talk you out going, so I want you to take care of your self and don't get killed." Arya said in a serious tone. "Don't worry. I'll be sure to keep myself alive." He said, his face going blank. He was having issues containing his emotions. He watched as a tiny frown crossed her perfect face then vanished just as fast as it had come.

"Goodbye Eragon. I'll see you when you get back." She said and he nodded his head once. "I'll see you then." He said and watched as she turned and began to walk away. _She must have said goodbye to Saphira before I came_. He thought.

Eragon forced himself not to watch her walk away, and went into his tent and sat on his cot with a deep sigh placing his arrows next to him. He let Saphira know that Roran would be arriving soon, and that he was going to take a little time to get his mind settled before they left.

He decided that he would need all of his concentration to lock his emotions away, so he closed his mind to everything and everyone including Saphira. He wasn't trying to hide it from her; he just needed his mind to himself. Then he withdrew into his mind where he created a room in the very back of his mind away from the one with his memories and thoughts and added a thick door to it.

When he was done he focused on the emotions that he recently felt so he could put those in first. _Okay. I remember feeling pain, pleasure, fear, and helpless, but I don't want to put pleasure in there so just the pain, fear and helplessness then_. He thought and focused on holding those emotions. He then opened the door and tried to put them in, but he couldn't get them in.

Eragon wondered why it wasn't working, but quickly realized that he could only put one emotion in at a time. It then occurred to him that he might have to feel the emotion before he could lock it away. _That's not good. What if I'm in the middle of something important when I'm experiencing it? _He thought in frustration. He then tried to put random emotions in the room just by thinking about them and realized that he couldn't.

_Ugh! I was just feeling a bunch of emotions I wanted to put away a few minutes ago!_ He thought in frustration. He decided that since he was feeling frustrated he would put that emotion in the room, and stop worrying about what he couldn't help.

He grabbed hold of that emotion and focused on putting it in the room. Once it was in he closed the door and withdrew from his mind. Then he opened his mind to Saphira and his surroundings and felt the familiar hum of the many thoughts around him.

After that Eragon began to gather what he needed for the rescue trip. He put his cloak on then gathered his bow and arrows, bottle of faelnirv, and his supply of food and put them in his saddlebag. _I have a feeling that bringing food hasn't crossed Roran's mind. He needs to eat, and who knows what they've feed Katrina if they they've feed her at all_. He thought as he carried Saphira's saddle and his saddlebag out to her.

_**Feeling better little one?**_ Saphira asked as he approached her with the saddle. "_A little. Enough so that I'm not distracted right now_." He said as he placed the saddle on her and began to buckle it. "_Do you think it will take us long to get there?_" He asked as he continued to buckle the saddle. _**No I don't; it'll definitely take us less time to get there then it did to get here.**_ She said as she shifted a little for him.

As he moved to her other side he could hear someone walking in their direction, so he reached out with his mind to find their thoughts and realized that it was Roran. He backed away from his mind so he wouldn't feel uncomfortable or threatened and continued with Saphira's saddle as Roran watched.

_**You seem interested in my saddle**_. He heard Saphira say to Roran, and saw him jump slightly. He wasn't use to hearing voices in his mind especially not that of a dragon, so Eragon wasn't surprised by his reaction and couldn't blame him. He was use to Saphira's voice, but it still shocked him the first time he heard their Master Glaedr's voice.

"Yes. It's really nice and very well made. Can I ask where you got it from?" Roran asked as he moved closer for a better look. _**Our Master gave it to us**_. She said as he continued to look at the saddle. "Wow. Look at the detail. Is it heavy?" He asked. _**Not to me.**_ She said in an amused voice. "Eragon?" He asked as he pulled his eyes away from the saddle. "No not really. At least for me anyway." Eragon said as he finished with the saddle. He then asked Roran for his hammer, so he could put it in his saddlebag.

As Eragon grabbed his saddlebag Saphira laid herself flat on the ground to make it easier for Roran to climb into the saddle even though she knew that Eragon would help.

After Eragon attached his saddlebag securely to the saddle he climbed lithely into the saddle and held out his hand to assist his cousin. Roran looked at his hand skeptically as if he doubted Eragon could support his weight with one hand. Eragon sighed. "Look at it this way..if I fall out of the saddle under your weight you can tease me about it for as long as you want." He said and Roran laughed. "Okay." Roran said with laughter still in his voice as he grasped hold of Eragon's hand.

Eragon held Roran's hand tight but not tight enough to break any bones as he pulled him up and helped him sit comfortably behind him. "Hold on tight." He said to Roran and felt him grip his waist on both sides. Eragon shook his head. "Roran wrap your arms around my waist. You don't want to go flying off when Saphira takes off do you?" He said and felt Roran comply, and also felt his heartbeat speed up.

"Don't worry. Saphira will take it easy since this is your first time." He said as Saphira stood up. "If you want to talk to either of us just think whatever you want to say and we'll answer." He added as Saphira stepped clear of their tent. She then stretched her wings and took off into the sky.

Eragon smiled as he felt Roran holding on tighter and tighter as Saphira ascended into the sky. _Oh that was horrible. I wonder if Eragon's first time flying with Saphira was like this._ Roran thought as Saphira stopped rising and began to head in the direction of Helgrind.

"_No my first time was very, very different. Lets just say you're lucky enough to experience this with a saddle_." He said to Roran as he heard Saphira's rough giggle in his mind. "_I can't believe you're laughing. I remember the pain I was in after that first ride_." He said as he pretended to be sad. _**Yes I remember too, but I also remember how you were afraid to fly with me after that.**_ She said fondly. "_Can you blame me? Plus I did get over it once you showed me what I was missing_." He said with a smile in his voice.

They spent the rest of that afternoon and evening flying, trying to cover as much ground as they could before nightfall. They talked little during that time. Eragon spent the time transferring energy into the diamonds of his sword belt, and Roran spent the time thinking about Katrina.

When it became dark Saphira chose a secluded spot for them to camp in. After she landed she laid herself flat on the ground again to make it easier for Roran, but he didn't move because it was so dark he couldn't see anything; not even Eragon sitting in front of him.

_That was worse then the take off_. Roran thought. "I can't see a thing." He said as he blinked his eyes wide open like an owl. "Don't worry about it. I'll take care of that." Eragon said as he moved his right leg over Saphira's neck and jumped down. He walked around for a minute collecting large rocks, and put them in a circle creating a boundary for a fire. Then he grabbed dried sticks and leaves that were lying around and put them in the center. He focused on the magic inside him and said _brisingr_ in his mind and his right hand erupted in blue flames.

He heard Roran gasp as he lowered his hand and placed it on the sticks and leaves. They caught fire right away and he released the magic as he pulled his hand away and stood up. He watched the fire as it turned from blue to orange. Then he looked around making sure the site was bright enough for Roran to see then turned to look at him still sitting on Saphira.

"This should be enough to help you see, and it will help keep you warm for the time being." He said as he watched Roran climb from Saphira's back. "For the time being?" He questioned once he was firmly on the ground_**. We cannot leave the fire going all night. We don't want to attract any unwanted guests, especially this close to enemy territory, so you'll be sleeping with me to keep warm**_. Saphira said in answer to Roran's question.

"Where will I be sleeping exactly?" Roran asked as he sat between one side of the fire and Saphira. _**Next to my stomach where the fire inside me is strong. I'll cover you with my wing, and you'll be completely warm**_. She said as she lay down and watched Eragon lean against a tree across from the other side of the fire.

They were all quiet for a time after that. Eragon gazed into the fire as he and Saphira listened to the sounds of the forest around them. Eragon listened but he was having a hard time blocking out Roran's depressing thoughts.

_His thoughts are starting to make me depressed._ He thought as he focused his entire mind on blocking Roran's thoughts. He then realized that he was feeling depressed, and that he could lock that emotion away. So he retreated to his mind after blocking everything around him, and grabbed hold of that emotion and focused on putting it in the room. Once it was in the room he closed the door and withdrew from his mind.

He then opened his mind and felt Saphira, Roran, and the forest life around him. He could tell that Saphira was curious about why he had blocked her out, but he didn't say anything. He was a little happy that Roran's thoughts were no longer depressing him.

Eragon would have been happier about that, but what he didn't know was that every time he locked away an emotion a small piece of love and joy went in too.

Sorry for the long wait. I was having some serious writers block with this chapter. Anyway please pull out your **Limited Edition of Eldest** or head over to **Alagaesia dot com** and read the sneak peak of chapter three of _Brisingr_. I thought up this story after I first read that, so it is a part of the next chapter, which is called _The Rescue_.


	5. Author's Note

**IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE**

I just wanted to say that I'm not sure if I'm going to continue this story or not. I started to outline the next chapter. Then I stopped then I started again then I stopped. You get the picture right? I didn't get very many reviews for the last chapter I posted, and then I started to lose interest in it. I think it's because I'm more interested in waiting for Brisingr to come out then writing. Maybe I just need Brisingr to come out and respark my interest in writing my story or maybe not. I don't know. I've been seriously considering deleting this story. I can always repost it if my interest comes back since I have it saved. I had a poll on my profile asking if I should continue or not and only one person responded saying I shouldn't continue. So please review this and let me know if I should continue. If I don't get enough responses I'll delete this story.  
Thanks for reading this.  
Serena.


	6. Chapter 5 The Rescue

**Disclaimer****: I did not come up with any of the characters, places, names or anything else in the world of the Inheritance Cycle. All of that was the great mind of Christopher Paolini. I wish I had a genius mind like his.**

**Author's Note****: Sorry this coming so late. As some of you know I kind of lost my interest in this story for a while, but I got it back and then I had a death in the family so I put it off. I had been working on between other stories since it helped me deal. So here it is. The much long awaited chapter.  
****You will need to read the excerpt of chapter 3 of Brisingr, the one that came with the Limited Edition of Eldest. If you don't you might be confused as to what is happening. So if you haven't read it I suggest you read it, and if you have then make sure you remember and refresh your memory if you need to.**

"_Text_" speaking in the mind  
_Text_ thinking to ones-self  
"Text" speaking out loud  
_**Text**_ Saphira speaking  
**Text** dragon speaking  
"_**Text**_" Saphira thinking to herself

**The Rescue**

"Ugh! I can't just sit here when we're so close!" Roran said as he jumped to his feet and began to pace back and forth in front of the fire.

"You must." Eragon said in a calm voice. "You need to relax and get some sleep or you won't be of any use to Katrina when we find her."

Eragon noticed immediately that Roran was too agitated and depressed with his thoughts about Katrina and what was happening to her at the moment, so he decided to distract him. He began to ask him questions about the villagers and how they were doing, what their reaction was to the massive battle they had come across, and how they felt now that they had reached their destination. Roran answered well enough, and Eragon kept firing off questions to keep him from his thoughts about Katrina. Roran yawned and Eragon paused in his questioning to watch him. He could tell that he was tired; they hadn't done anything, but Roran was stressed and needed to sleep.

"Okay Roran I'm going to stop with the questioning now, but don't worry. I saved plenty for tomorrow night." Eragon said with a smirk, and watched as Roran grimaced and said goodnight to him and Saphira.

Once Roran was settled under Saphira's wing Eragon began to put the fire out. He used his magic to pull all the oxygen molecules out until the smallest ember was extinguished. He then sat back against the tree and relaxed as he monitored the area around them with his mind, picking up the wild life and plant life for miles around.

_**Eragon you need to get some rest too**_. Saphira insisted. _**I'll let you know when morning comes.**_ She finished as she settled herself to take watch.

Eragon knew that arguing with her would be a waste of time; he gave his mental acceptance, closed his eyes, and slowed his breathing and heart and began to rest in the black void that was his mind. After a few hours he heard Saphira calling him and knew that it was light out and morning had come, so he sped up his heartbeat and breathing and opened his eyes, blinking rapidly at the bright morning light. He got up, stretched, and began to get rid of the rocks and ashes from the fire they had going the night before.

"_How was your night Saphira? Anything interesting happen?"_ He asked as he scattered the rocks. He didn't want to leave any evidence that they had been there. _**It was okay. Boring but okay.**_ She said as she watched him blow away the ashes with his magic made wind_. "You should have let me stay up. At least I would have been able to keep watch with you, and maybe I would have been able to keep you from being bored."_ He said as he made his way over to Saphira intending to wake Roran. _**You needed your rest, and I was able to handle the boredom relatively well.**_ She said as she lifted her wing, giving him access to his sleeping cousin.

"_Whatever you say, but tonight I'm taking watch."_ He said as he knelt down next to Roran. He then shook Roran's shoulder with a firm hand effectively waking him up. "Time to get up. We have a lot of ground to cover. So-to-speak." He said as he stood up and walked over to the saddlebag to get Roran some food. _Maybe I should have said we have a lot of sky to cover._ He thought as he headed back to Roran. "Here you go." He said as he handed Roran the bag of food.

"I'm not hungry." Roran said as he stretched from where he sat. "You need to eat. You have to keep up your strength. Besides you don't want to fall off Saphira if she decides she wants to go faster then she did yesterday." He said with a smirk. "Fine." Roran said with a sigh as he fished around in the bag. "Why aren't you eating?" He asked after swallowing a mouth full of food as he watched Eragon get to his feet and walk over to Saphira's head. "I am not hungry. Besides I can go without eating for a while, and I want to preserve some food for Katrina." He said as he ran his hand along Saphira's face.

A half an hour later they set out and continued on their way. Eragon continued to store energy into his sword belt as they flew over he land. He found himself with an almost permanent frown as he listened to Roran's brooding thoughts. His mentioning the preservation of food for Katrina had set Roran's thoughts spiraling from bad to worse about what she had or had not been feed.

After hours of flying with only one break in between they settled in a secluded area for the night. Once Eragon got a fire going to light the area enough for Roran to see, he helped him out of the saddle then began to remove the saddle from Saphira so she could stretch and be comfortable. When he was done he began to rub the areas where the straps were just to help her comfort along as he checked the area with his mind, but he was having trouble concentrating because of Roran's thoughts.

_I need to get his mind off of Katrina for a while. Maybe even for the night_. He thought as he finished rubbing Saphira's aches_. He needs something to do, something to keep his mind busy. Oh! I know…we'll do some sparring_. He thought with a small-satisfied smile as he walked off into the trees next to Saphira. He found two medium length, slightly thick sticks on the ground and proceeded back to their little camp, snapping off little twigs to make the sticks smooth. He was sure from the feel and texture that they would not break easily. At least not easily if he was careful with his strength.

"Hey Roran? How about we get some exercise?" Eragon suggested as he tossed one of the sticks to Roran. He hoped he'd get some kind of practice from it as well as hoping to distract Roran from his negative thoughts. "What's wrong Eragon? You need the practice?" Roran asked teasingly as he got to his feet and moved with Eragon away from the fire. "Maybe." He answered as he lunged at Roran with the stick in his right hand. For some reason he wasn't ready for Roran to know that he could fight with his left hand as well.

Saphira had to choke back a laugh at Eragon's answer. If Eragon needed practice he certainly wasn't going to get anything out of this match. She knew that the only way he would improve was if he fought with someone stronger then he was and right now those people were among the elves. "_**He won't get any real practice until we get back to Ellesmera."**_ She thought as she watched the cousin's match. She noticed almost immediately that Eragon had toned down his skills and strength, a lot, so that Roran could keep up and be on equal footing with him. _"It's also so the sticks don't break."_ She heard him say to her with a smile in his voice.

After a while Eragon and Roran stopped and tossed their sticks into the fire. Eragon was satisfied that he had succeeded in distracting Roran from his thoughts about Katrina and getting him tired. He had also succeeded in giving them both some laughs and having fun. Eragon hadn't had any serious fun since before his transformation, and he suspected that it had been even longer for his cousin. They said goodnight and Eragon watched as Roran made himself comfortable next to Saphira, and watched as she covered him with her wing.

"_Okay Saphira. It's like I said this morning. I'm keeping watch while you get some sleep."_ He said as he settled himself against a tree across from her, and extinguished the fire with his magic. _**Okay little one. Don't get bored like I did**_. She said with a toothy yawn as she closed her eyes.

Eragon sat there for a while watching Saphira and listening to the sounds of the forest around him. He then stood and jumped into the tree he was sitting against, and climbed high so that he could see over the other trees. He sat down and gazed off into the distance as he monitored the area around their camp. _We're pretty close to the Razac's lair. I wonder if we'll run into anything outside of their lair. I wouldn't be surprised if we did. _ He thought with a sigh. _Soon we'll know if Katrina is there or not. I hope she is there for Roran's sake. The things she must have gone through…what she's going through now. Her emotional sate must be a wreck._ He thought as he glanced down at Saphira. _Just like Roran's_. He thought as his eyes zeroed in on the wing Roran was sleeping under. _I've caused them so much pain…so much suffering. If it hadn't been for me the Razac would never have been in Carvahall. They wouldn't have gone there again looking for Roran to try and get to me, and they wouldn't have been there to kidnap Katrina. _ He thought as the pain and guilt of his thoughts squeezed at his heart and mind.

He leaned his head back against the tree and squeezed his eyes shut as more thoughts of the pain he had caused Roran and Katrina surfaced. _It hurts. It hurts so much…but it doesn't have to hurt_. He thought a little slowly as he opened his eyes. He was in luck. He would be able to put away two more emotions. No more pain and guilt to weigh his mind down. _Perfect_. He thought as he closed his eyes and his mind. He withdrew into his mind and easily found the room he had been keeping his emotions in. He opened the mental door and quickly put his emotional pain and guilt into the room, and then shut the door and withdrew from his mind.

Eragon opened his eyes and his mind and scanned the area to make sure all was well. It had only taken him a few seconds but he had to make sure nothing and no one dangerous had entered the area. When he was satisfied that the area was secured he began to examine how he was feeling. He felt calm and collected. He thought about the part he played in Katrina and Roran's separation, and no longer felt pain or guilt. The only thing he felt was a sense of urgency. He wanted to reunite them and he wanted them to be happy. He wanted to give the people of his old home a reason to be happy, a reason not to give up hope.

He spent the rest of the night feeling a curious nothingness inside himself as he watched over the camp and continued to monitor the area. When the sun rose he decided to let Saphira and Roran sleep longer, knowing that they needed all the rest they could get since they were close to the Razac's lair, and after a little over two hours he cleared the rocks and ashes from their fire and began to wake Saphira and Roran.

"Are you going to eat something Roran?" Eragon asked as he began to put Saphira's saddle back on. "No I'm not hungry." Roran said as he stretched. "Are you sure?" He asked as he buckled the saddle straps. "Yeah I'm sure. What about you?" Roran asked. "I'll eat something tonight." He said as he grabbed the saddlebags.

"_What about you Saphira? Are you hungry?"_ He asked her as he paused on his way back toward the saddle. He didn't want to put the bags on if she was going to go hunt. _**No I'm okay**_. She said as she lay flat on her stomach to make it easier for him to attach the bags. _"Are you sure? You won't be able to hunt tonight. Wouldn't want you fighting on an empty stomach, although the hungry growls might scare away any attack."_ He said in an amused voice. _**Shut up!**_ She growled while taking a playful nip at him.

Eragon skipped out of her reach with a light chuckle then went back to getting them ready for their departure. Once the bags were set and everyone was fully awake they continued forward on their quest. They flew in a mental silence, everyone focused on their own thoughts. Saphira was focused on the area as well as her flying. She wanted to be alert and aware if something came at them since they were getting closer and closer to the enemy territory. Roran's thoughts had become depressed again as he imagined the area Katrina was being kept in and her condition. Eragon was concentrating on what Saphira was seeing as well as monitoring the area they flew through since he too wanted to be aware if something were to attack them. Even though he was focused on Saphira and the area around them he was still aware of and hearing Roran's thoughts. The only difference now was the fact that they had no effect on him. He wasn't feeling depressed, sad, or guilty. He felt nothing. Just the curious nothingness he experience during the night.

It was nightfall when they reached the area of the Razac's lair. They landed and made camp a good enough distance away so that they wouldn't be discovered, and would be able to return to that location when they were done at the Razac's lair. They then made themselves comfortable around a small fire, whose blaze Eragon was controlling to help keep them from being discovered, and sat in silence. Eragon and Saphira sat there calmly as they used the silence to focus their senses on the area around them, while Roran seemed to use it to make himself antsy and anxious. It was only a few more minutes before he couldn't seem to take it anymore and broke the silence.

"How can the two of you sit there so calmly when we're so close?" Roran asked as he stood, from where he sat by the fire, and began to pace around. "We don't even know what we're going to do when we get there! What _are_ we going to do?" He asked in a rush as he continued to pace around.

_**We are calm because we need to be- because sooner or later it will have an affect on you and calm you down, but more importantly we are calm because we are of one mind at the moment and sharing one focus**_. Saphira began. "We are focusing our senses on the area, making sure we are not unaware of what is happening around us. As for what we are going to do…well we won't know until we actually get there. We do not know what to expect and we can not plan for the unexpected." Eragon finished calmly as he continued to control the fire.

Roran frowned at their words. As far as he could tell their calmness wasn't having an effect on him, and Eragon's words had made him even more anxious. "Do you have any idea of what we will be facing?" He asked them, still pacing around, although slower then he had been.

_**The only thing we can say for sure is that we will either face the Razac, the Lethrblaka, or both of them**_. Saphira said. _**Anything else we cannot be sure of, especially since Galbatorix sent them out.**_

"Well what are we going to do when we get out of there? How far are we traveling? Are we coming back here or are we just going to keep going?" Roran asked as he stopped pacing and stood where he had originally been sitting by the fire.

Eragon and Saphira could tell that their calm answers were working on Roran's nerves. All they had to do now was continue answering his questions and convince him to get some sleep. His nerves may be settling down, but he wasn't going to want to sleep with their possibly being so close to Katrina. "We will be coming back here. We'll leave anything unnecessary here, that way we won't be weighed down. If Katrina is there she may not be in the best condition to travel far, so we will rest here and then head back to the base camp." Eragon said.

Roran nodded his head slowly as he sat down. He understood Eragon's reasoning. The last thing he wanted was to cause Katrina more distress, especially since he was sure she had had nothing but distress since her capture. As he settled himself he watched as Eragon stood and walked over to the saddlebags and grabbed the one with their food in it.

"Are you doing to eat something Roran?" Eragon asked as he sat back down. He wasn't hungry but he knew that Saphira would insist on him putting something in his stomach. _**That's right**_. He heard her say softly in his mind and he flashed her a smile.

"I'm still not hungry." Roran said. "Neither am I, but I'm going to eat something anyway." He said as he pulled some bread from the bag. He looked at it like it was the nastiest thing in the world. _**You can do it little one. Besides, if you want Roran to eat then you have to eat. **_ He heard her say and he had to force back a grimace. "Come on Roran. Eat. It'll help toward the energy we're going to need for tomorrow." He said as he tossed the bag over the fire to him.

Eragon began to eat his bread as he watched Roran grab something to eat. They ate in silence for a few minutes and when they were done Saphira reminded them that it was late and that she would stay up and keep watch. Eragon didn't argue since he was tired, especially since he forced himself to eat, but Roran argued that he couldn't sleep- not when they were so close. Saphira and Eragon managed to convince him, telling him that even if it was just for a little while he needed to rest so that he could function during the rescue. They then said their goodnights, and Eragon put the fire out, moved to settle under one of Saphira's wings, and went into his trancelike sleep where he rested in the black void of his mind.

**.:xXx:.  
**Light and Shadow  
An Excerpt of Chapter 3 of Brisingr  
**.:xXx:.**

Eragon heard Saphira calling him but was unable to respond through the pain he felt. As he gasped for air he briefly thought how he wished he were able to put his physical pain away like he did with his emotional pain.

"_Saphira what's happening?"_ He asked as he tried to get a hold of himself. _**There are two lethrblaka that I can see, and Roran is still on my back trying to fight off one of them**_. Saphira said as she fought with the other lethrblaka while making sure Roran wasn't thrown from her back.

Eragon continued to force air into his lungs and push away his pain in order to get control of his limbs as he listened to Saphira's explanation. He then sat up, his head spinning, as he tried to focus on the shapes moving in front of him. He could tell that there was a massive shape moving in front of him, but he couldn't make it out. He assumed that it was Saphira, and he felt her give a mental assent to that assumption.

He put a hand over his eyes to shut out the spinning, so he could try to stop it when he felt a hand on his shoulder and heard his cousin speaking. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?" He heard Roran ask. _Of course I'm hurt!_ He thought to himself. It was taking almost all his will power to move, but he wasn't going to tell Roran that and he wasn't going to let it stop him. "I'm okay. I'm just trying to stop everything from spinning. Go help Saphira. I need a few more moments." He said.

Eragon could hear the screeches of the lethrblaka and the clicking of their beaks as they faced off against Saphira and Roran. He was still trying to get his bearings, but he was also doing other things. He made sure that he had all his arrows with him and found that he did, but he realized that he didn't have his bow. _I must have lost it through the collisions and flight through the air._ He thought as he raised his right hand and tried to focus on it. Moments later he heard it whizzing through the air and felt it slam into his hand.

He made sure there was no damage and then continued to focus on stopping the spinning and getting his vision under control as he stood up, leaning against the wall he had crashed into. He then stood there, leaning heavily against the wall, as he forced his eyes open and dealt with the spinning. As he was doing that he kept himself busy, probing the empty tunnels again with his mind, and again he found nothing, but he had a feeling that he might be missing something.

Finally everything stopped spinning and he saw that Roran was pretty cut up from the lethrblaka's sharp claws, so he put a protective shield around him and then merged his mind with Saphira's so that they could fight as one.

Eragon focused on one lethrblaka, putting arrows through its leathery wings causing it to screech in pain. Then he used his magic to hold it against a wall while Saphira roasted it with her blue fire. The smell filling the cave was putrid as they listened to its painful screech of pain. Saphira made her fire hotter so that it would die faster. It worked and moments later the sound stopped. They then turned their attention to the lethrblaka that was trying to attack Roran, but was unable because of the shield Eragon put around him.

He saw that Roran's hammer had done quite a lot of damage to its wings and front legs. He then watched as Saphira took over and grabbed it in her jaws and began to rip it apart with her claws. While she did that Eragon withdrew from her mind so that they were no longer merged, and began to examine the tunnels again. He closed his eyes and stood perfectly still with his head slightly bowed and concentrated on the tunnels.

When Saphira was done ripping the lethrblaka to pieces she breathed her fire on it, so that nothing was recognizable. She then turned her attention to Eragon as she watched Roran walk over to him.

Roran put his hand on Eragon's left shoulder and shook him slightly while calling his name. "Eragon? Eragon come on. What are you doing?" He asked, but got no response from him. He then heard Saphira talking to him. _**Leave him Roran. Let him concentrate**_. She said as she listened to Eragon's thought process.

Eragon examined each tunnel separately looking for anything he might have missed the previous times. He didn't find anything but he just knew something was off about them. _Yes this is their lair and there shouldn't be anyone here, but then why have the entrance protected by and illusion? It's not like anyone in their right mind would come up here. Not that they would be able to get up here anyway_. He thought as he remembered how Saphira had to fly them up. He knew that he would have been able to get up, but Roran would not have been able to.

_There has to be something up here that Galbatorix wanted protected. I know he's the only one who could have put that illusion on the entrance. Well he's the only one who would have a reason to do so, but why would he do it? _ He continued with his thoughts as he probed each tunnel with his mind. He sensed nothing in each tunnel, but he continued to smell that odor of rotting meat. _Maybe that smell was something that they were eating_. He thought and then grimaced as an image of Katrina came to mind. _I hope that's not it. Maybe it's…_ His thought trailed off as he realized that the smell could be false. _That's it! The tunnels themselves could have illusions on them. That way if anyone did make their way in here and was lucky enough to live, they wouldn't think anyone was here_. He thought as he opened his eyes and lifted his head.

He looked around to find the closest tunnel and then looked to Roran and Saphira. "We need to check the tunnels." He announced as he retrieved his arrows. _**I'll keep a look out and make sure nothing comes at you from behind.**_ Saphira said to them. "Okay. Come on Roran." He said as he headed to the closest tunnel.

"It's so dark. I can't see a thing." Roran said after they entered the tunnel. He kept close to Eragon, anxious that something might jump out at them from the sides even though he knew that there was nothing but solid rock on the sides.

After he heard Roran's words Eragon's right hand erupted in blue flames after nothing more then a thought having left the link to his magic open, so that he could keep the shield around Roran in case of any other danger. He then lifted his hand high so that Roran could see the passage in front of them. Once they reached the end of the tunnel they found it to be empty, so they turned around and headed back up the tunnel.

"How are you doing Roran? Are those cuts really bad?" Eragon asked as they walked. "Some are bad, but I'm doing okay. I'm mostly anxious about finding Katrina." Roran answered. "Of course. Well once we're done in this cave and back to camp I'll heal your wounds." He said as they reached the opening of the tunnel.

_**How are **__**you**__** doing little one?**_ Saphira asked Eragon as she watched them walk to the next tunnel. She could tell he was in pain, although he was doing an amazing job at keeping it off his face. He was blocking it from her as well, but she had felt it before he was able to put the block up. _"I'm hurting but I can handle it. It will be worth it if Katrina is here."_ He said to her as he and Roran began down the next tunnel.

Eragon walked ahead of Roran, holding his hand up near the top of the tunnel, so that he could see. When they reached the end of the tunnel they both saw a pair of small bare feet, and they hurried forward and found Katrina sitting against the wall –her arms up above her head with her wrists chained to the wall.

"Katrina! Katrina!" Roran called as he pushed past Eragon and ran to her side. He placed his hands on her face, caressing her, trying to get her to respond.

Eragon examined the chains as he heard Katrina moan. "Cover her face." He instructed Roran, and after he did Eragon used his magic to break the chains and her arms feel to her sides. Eragon then crouched down next to her and was appalled at how she looked. She had lost so much weight from the last time he saw her, and she had bruises, scars, and cuts over every section of skin he could see. Never the less he was glad that she was alive, and he sighed as he stood up. He looked around to make sure they hadn't over looked anything important or another person in their relief at finding Katrina. He watched as Roran lifted Katrina into his arms, and then he led the way back through the tunnel with his fire lighting the way.

"She's so cold." He heard Roran whisper so quietly that he was sure he wouldn't have been able to hear had he been almost anyone else. "Lay her next to Saphira when we get out of this tunnel. Being close to Saphira should warm her up." Eragon said, ignoring the brief shock that registered in Roran's mind as he realized the he had heard his whisper, and moments later watched as Roran did exactly that.

Saphira had heard their exchange and knew what was going on, and was ready with her wing lifted as high as it could go in the cave. _**How is she doing?**_ She asked Eragon. _"Not good. She doesn't have any broken bones, but her skin is covered in bruises, cuts and scars."_ He said as he let his fire go out while he headed down the third dark tunnel.

When he reached the end of the tunnel he found a person lying on their back with their hands chained to the wall. He hurried forward and was slightly surprised to find that it was Sloan. He had heard the story from Roran and knew that Sloan had been taken too, but for some reason he just wasn't expecting him to be there. Pushing that thought aside Eragon freed Sloan's hands from the chains and pushed them aside. He then slid his bow up his arm so that it rested on his shoulder and picked Sloan up.

_Whoa he is heavy. I guess I've always known that, but I never expected to have to pick him up_. He thought as he proceeded back up the tunnel with his load. Once outside the tunnel he walked toward Saphira and saw Roran look up.

"Is that…" Roran began with a frown. "Yes. He's alive, but unconscious." Eragon said as he laid Sloan near Saphira's neck, away from the reunited couple. _"Saphira can you keep an eye on him while I check the last two tunnels?"_ He asked as he straightened up and put a hand on his lower back. _**Sure. How's your back doing**_? She asked as she watched him head into the fourth tunnel. _ "It hurts but it's a picnic compared to Durza's cursed scar."_ He said with grim humor in his voice as he walked down the tunnel. Sloan was heavy, but not heavy enough to cause him pain. He knew that his pain stemmed from his crash into the wall when they first entered the cave. _**That's true**_. She said as she watched his progress through his mind.

Eragon walked through the tunnel, his eyes and mind searching every inch. As he reached the end he searched the small enclosure from top to bottom, but found nothing so he left that tunnel and proceeded to the fifth and last one. He searched the tunnel as he did with the others and when he reached the small enclosure he found the floor littered with rags and clothing. He grimaced and wrinkled his nose at the smell coming from the rags and clothing. It smelt as if something had died there and it was all the more stronger with his sensitive sense of smell. He was glad that he didn't see any way that there could be bodies under the clothes and rags.

He began to move the rags around with his feet as he moved through the enclosure. He moved throughout the whole enclosure finding nothing until he got to the left corner. He went to move a rag with his foot and felt like he had kicked a rock, so he knelt down and grimaced as he reached out to move the rag, hoping that his hand wouldn't end up smelling like it. He rolled his eyes as he realized that the habit of being clean had really been firmly imprinted in his brain –that even now he wished for a bath. He moved the rag to reveal a dark oval-round shape, and his eyes widened at what he thought he was seeing.

He immediately summoned his fire to his right hand so he could make absolutely sure that his eyes were not deceiving him. The enclosure was lit up and he saw that he had not been deceived.

"Oh my god." He whispered as he gazed at the green egg in front of him. "_Saphira is this real?"_ He whispered to her. _**Of course it's real Eragon. Don't you remember what my egg looked like?**_ She asked with excitement in her voice. _"I remember. It's just…I can't believe we've actually found it." _ He said as he picked it up and cradled it in his arms like the baby it was.

Eragon couldn't believe how easy it had been to find. Okay it wasn't easy at all, but he had expected it to be almost impossible to find. He guessed that Galbatorix had under estimated the fact that someone would come there and live long enough to look around. He then stood and walked out of the tunnel and went straight to Saphira so that she could see it better. It looked even better with the light coming in through the cave. Its green color was rich like the trees and grass of Du Weldenvarden. After Saphira had finished examining the egg he carefully placed it on the ground close to her, knowing that she would protect it, and moved to check on Katrina and Sloan.

Sloan looked as bad as Katrina. Eragon figured that he must have lost some weight just like Katrina even though he looked and felt like he hadn't. It wasn't as if he had ever lifted him before –he was just going off of memory, but other then that he seemed find –unconscious but dreaming. He then moved on to Katrina and was again appalled at her condition. He probably would have remembered the time he found Arya in such a similar condition had he not locked that memory away. Her heartbeat was strong and like her father she was dreaming. He knew that they would both be fine.

"I'm going to check the cave and the previous tunnels just to make sure we haven't missed anything." He announced to Saphira and Roran as he got to his feet.

He then began to search every inch of the cave, and then he moved down the tunnel he had found Sloan in. Once he was done with that tunnel he checked the one they found Katrina in, and then moved on to the first tunnel they had checked. As he reached the end of the tunnel he heard Katrina waking up.

**.:xXx:.**

Katrina woke feeling warm strong arms around her. _I must still be dreaming…or hallucinating_. She thought warily as she tried to move. The arms tightened and she froze while her heart began to pound out a hard rhythm. She opened her eyes slowly; afraid of what she would see. She saw that she wasn't in her tunnel anymore, that she could actually see, and when she looked up her heart skipped a beat.

"R –roran?" She whispered. Roran smiled and hugged her. "Katrina I'm so glad I finally found you." He whispered. "Roran I can't believe it's really you." She said happily through tears. "How did you find me?" She asked as she pulled back to look at him, still not believing that it was really him. "Well I had a lot of help." He said.

"Help? Help from who? Who else is here?" She asked, and then she noticed the blue wall next to her, and reached out a shaky hand and felt it. _It's warm, and moving!_ She thought in alarm. "What is that?" She asked Roran slowly, not really sure if she wanted to know, as she quickly pulled her hand away.

At Katrina's last though Eragon began to make his way back up the tunnel. He didn't want her to be afraid of Saphira, and knew that he had to put her mind at ease before her fear set in.

"I had help from Eragon, and this is a dragon. She helped as well. She's Eragon's friend." Roran said. _**More then a friend**_. Saphira corrected him in his mind. "Okay so she's more then just his friend. She's…" He trailed off, not sure what to say.

"My other half." Eragon finished for Roran as he reached the opening of the tunnel.

Katrina turned in Roran's arms to see where the voice was coming from. It was a calm, gentle, and beautiful voice and she wanted to see the face that went with it.

Eragon's eyebrows rose at Katrina's thoughts as he stepped out of the tunnel. He had no idea his voice sounded any different. _**Don't forget that you have changed much since the last time she saw you, and you would have sounded different to her even before your transformation. **_ Saphira said to him. _"Really?"_ He said as he looked at her. _**Yes little one.**_ She said proudly. He had grown up but he would always be her little one.

Eragon walked past Roran and Katrina, ignoring them for the moment, as he went to Saphira. He knelt next to her head and placed his hand on her face. He could feel her love through their link and it warmed him. _"Yes I will always be your little one. I wouldn't want it any other way."_ He said with a smile, which grew when he felt and heard her humming. He could sense Katrina's fear at Saphira's humming and he sighed as he stood and walked back to her and Roran.

"Do not be afraid. Saphira is just expressing her happiness." He said as he knelt next to them. "S –saphira?" Katrina asked with a frightened look on her face as she examined his. "Yes. That is her name. She is my dragon and I am her rider." He stated with a gentle smile. He was already use to people starring at him –seeing the difference from the last time they had seen him, which was before his transformation. "You're a dragon rider? Like the stories Brom use to tell?" Katrina asked.

Eragon couldn't remember what she was talking about –he could barely remember Brom, but hearing his name brought a feeling of deep sorrow to him and he closed his eyes and sighed. He could hear Katrina's and Roran's thought clearly. She thought it was a simple question and wondered why he was reacting the way he was. She was right. It was a simple question, but it brought a lot with it. Roran was wishing that she hadn't brought it up as he registered how he had closed his eyes and sighed. He was glad that he was able to hide what he was really feeling.

"Yes I am a dragon rider." He said quietly. He could feel Saphira radiating sympathy, but he could also feel her sorrow at hearing Brom's name. _At least she knows why she's sad._ He thought to himself, making sure that she didn't hear it. He then stood and looked to the mouth of the cave. It was still light out but they had a long way to go back to camp, and he wanted to get there before it got dark. They had been there long enough anyway and it was time to go. "We must leave. Roran get Katrina in the saddle." He said as he looked back to them. He made it sound like a command and reinforced it with a 'don't give me any trouble' look. He was well aware that Roran wasn't use to taking orders, but giving them instead.

He then walked to Saphira's head and placed a hand on her face as she lifted it_. "Can you carry Sloan in your claws?"_ He asked her as he looked at Sloan's prone body. _**Yes. You're going to run?**_ She asked even though she knew the answer_. "Aye. My weight would add too much. I want you to be able to fly as fast as you can. Besides I will be fine on foot."_ He said. _"I'll move Sloan to the edge so that all you have to do is pick him up and launch."_ He added. _**What about the egg?**_ She asked, worried that someone would see it and try to take it from him. _"I brought my cloak in case we found Katrina so that she would be warm, but under the circumstances I've decided to use it to wrap the egg in."_ He said as he went to pick up Sloan.

"Is that my father?" Katrina asked as Roran put her legs in some kind of straps. "Yes." Eragon said as he walked Sloan over to the edge of the opening to the cave. "How are you able to carry him? I know that he must have lost weight, but he is still a heavy man." She said as she wondered what he was doing. "I am stronger then I look." He said as he placed Sloan near the edge. The last thing he needed was for him to roll over and end up falling.

Eragon then walked back to Saphira and helped Roran up into the saddle behind Katrina. He then walked around to Saphira's left side where the small saddlebag was and pulled his cloak out, and walked back to where he had placed the egg. He laid his cloak on the ground and carefully placed the egg in the center, then wrapped his cloak around it like a cocoon. Once he was done he picked it up and cradled it in his left arm and looked at Saphira.

"_Ready?"_ He asked. _**Ready**_. She answered and stood up to prepare to walk to where Sloan was. "Are you two ready?" He asked as he walked along side Saphira. "Yeah we're ready, but what about you? Aren't you riding with use?" Roran asked while he wrapped his arms tight around Katrina so that he wouldn't fall off, but not tight enough to hurt or bruise her. "And what about my father?" Katrina added with a nervous look on her face.

Eragon could sense her anxiousness. Only her first thought had been about her father. The rest were about the flight to come. She wondered if it would be fun or scary. She worried about falling off, and about the fact that she didn't know if she was afraid of heights or not. He wanted to laugh as he realized that she was doing all that and trying not to stare at him.

"No I am not riding with you. Saphira will carry your father in her front claws since he is still unconscious. I want her to fly as fast as she can and my added weight would slow her down, so I will be running." He said, and after seeing the skeptical looks on their faces he added, "Don't worry. I'll be right behind you. I'll reach camp a little while after you, and don't worry about the flight. Saphira will take good care of you, so try to relax and enjoy it."

He then stepped back to give Saphira room. He didn't want to get smacked by her tail when she jumped. _**You be careful little one. You know you're in more danger now that you carry that egg.**_ Saphira said as she turned her head to look back at him. _"I know and I will be sure to be extra careful. Just don't tell Roran. He doesn't need the added stress, which is another reason why I am running. All the danger will be with me."_ He said to her. _**Okay but you know that I will not hesitate to come help you should you need it.**_ She said, still looking at him. _"I do know. I also know that you would make sure they were perfectly safe before you did so."_ He said with a smile. _**Of course**_. She said as she turned and jumped from the cave with Sloan in her claws.

Eragon walked to the mouth of the cave and watched as Saphira flared her wings and soared a few moments before flapping and going higher into the sky. He shook his head at the sound of Katrina's scream as he reached for his magic to lower himself to the ground. It was a bit distracting since he could still hear Katrina's scream in his mind through Saphira, so he closed his mind to everything while he focused on not plummeting to his death.

After reaching the ground he decided, since he had his mind closed to all around him, he would use that short time to put away the sorrow he was still feeling over the mentioning of Brom's name. He closed his eyes and entered his mind. He found the mental door leading to the emotions he had already put away and added sorrow to the room then closed the door and withdrew from his mind. Once he was outside his mind he opened his eyes and mind and felt Saphira immediately. He then scanned the area for enemies, and finding none he tightened his hold on the egg and began to run through the forest terrain.

"_How is Katrina doing?"_ He asked Saphira after a while. _**She is still frightened, but she is doing much better then she was. I believe she is trying to take in the view as much as her nerves will allow.**_ She answered. _"Well at least she isn't screaming anymore."_ He said as he jumped over a fallen tree.

As Eragon ran through the forest he wondered what Sloan's reaction would be when he woke up. _I hope he doesn't try to get violent. Not that we wouldn't be able to stop him. I just don't want to deal with it right now, and I __really__ don't want Katrina and Roran to have to deal with it. I wonder how he will react when he sees that he is free or when he sees Roran or better yet…when he sees Saphira. Maybe I should be hoping he stays unconscious a while longer._ He thought with a sigh.

Eragon then turned his thoughts from Sloan's reaction to the area he was running through. He continued to scan the area with his mind as well as his eyes, and found nothing and no one that was after him or might be after Saphira. The only things he came across were animals, and he tried not to disturb their homes and lives as he passed through their territory.

After a while he watched in Saphira's mind as she descended to land in the camp. She placed Sloan on the ground next to the tree he had sat near, then walked to the other side of the camp across from Sloan and stretched out so that Katrina and Roran could get off.

"_Could you make sure they eat something, especially Katrina? Oh and make sure she doesn't eat too much or she might make herself sick."_ He said as he looked up to the sky as he ran. He noticed that the light was beginning to fade and that it would be dark soon. He just hoped that he would make it there before it got dark. _**Don't worry. I'll make sure. Oh! Eragon Sloan is beginning to wake up.**_ Saphira said and he focused on her mind to take in everything that was happening.

**.:xXx:.**

"Oh! My head. Where am I?" Sloan said quietly as he opened his eyes and saw that he was no longer in his tunnel prison. "It's okay father. We're free. We're safe." Katrina said.

Sloan rolled to his side to face his daughter and got the shock of his life. His daughter was wrapped in the arms of the very man he had been trying to keep her from. Roran. The same Roran he had forbid her to marry. The same Roran who had gotten them into this mess. He was so angered by the site of his daughter in that mans arms that he missed the blue mound behind them.

"Katrina get away from him! Come here." He shouted.

"_Wow. He's loud."_ Eragon said to Saphira as he continued on his way to them while listening to what was happening with them and paying attention to his surroundings. He had done plenty of multitasking before, but this was different and much more difficult. His brain was getting some serious exercise.

"No! I haven't seen Roran in months. I didn't even think I would see him again, so I'm staying right here where I can feel and hold him and be able to remind myself that he's real and not a dream." Katrina said as she held on tight to Roran.

_**Awwww….that was sweet**_. Saphira said to Eragon. Eragon gave his mental agreement as he slid down a steep hill. He was trying to make sure he didn't move wrong, slip, and break his neck.

"Let go of her. Get away from her!" Sloan shouted as he got to his feet.

"No! You heard her. She wants to stay right here, so that's what she's going to do." Roran said loudly. He would have beat Sloan for what he tried to do to him, for what he _did_ do to Katrina, and also for what he was doing now, but he wanted to stay with Katrina. –to keep her in his arms. He wasn't ready to deal with what Sloan had subjected them to anyway. He needed to get his mind back in order. He was sure that he had gone a bit crazy on his search for Katrina and Eragon, and he needed to get his bearings back.

Sloan began to walk toward them. He was determined to get his daughter away from him, and he would use violence if he had to.

"_Saphira make sure he doesn't touch them."_ Eragon said after seeing the look in Sloan's eyes. _"I am almost there. Hold him off until I get there."_ He added.

Saphira growled, the sound vibrating through her and into the ground making it shake, as she moved her head to the left so that her head would intercept Sloan before he reached the couple.

Sloan froze midstep and his eyes bulged as he heard the growling. He was so afraid that he couldn't even form a thought. As he looked ahead of him all he could see was a large blue scaly face in front of him while the ground shook from the growls it was making.

Saphira stopped growling when she realized that she was not only scaring Sloan, but Roran and Katrina as well. _**Eragon asked me to keep Sloan away from you two until he got here. **_ She explained to Roran while keeping her head between the couple and Sloan.

Roran sighed after Saphira's explanation and he reassured Katrina so she wouldn't be afraid anymore. He had been afraid as well. He hadn't seen Saphira like that since the battle where he had first met her. He supposed that she had been like that up in the cave, but he was a bit busy trying to stay alive at the time and didn't notice.

Eragon ran faster, pushing himself after he had spoken to Saphira. He knew that she could handle it, but he didn't want her to give Roran and Katrina a reason to fear her. He knew that they probably already did but he didn't want that fear to be reinforced so he wanted to get there quick. He was close. He knew from seeing the path Saphira had taken. Of course things were different from the sky, but he could tell that it was the right way. Plus he knew that Saphira was more disciplined then he was with keeping his emotions in check, but she had a grudge with Sloan just as big if not bigger then he did and he didn't want to risk her getting angry or irritated for that matter.

Sloan looked around quickly, having put some of his fear aside, for a weapon he could use against the creature. The only thing he could find was a large rock. He wasn't sure if it would do any damage, but it was better then nothing.

"Stay back you beast!" He yelled as he brandished the rock. He could hear Katrina and Roran's protests, but he ignored them since they clearly didn't know what was dangerous and what wasn't.

"If you hurt her or even _think_ about hurting her I'll make you wish you were back in that dark tunnel you called home." He heard an eerily calm voice say.

**Author's Note #2****: I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I hope to be able to add updating this story to the updating process of my other fictions, so hopefully the wait won't be as long as it was this time. I also hope that you understand what I'm trying to do with Eragon and his putting way his emotions. I tried to show in this chapter that his personality is beginning to change, but I will be going into it even more in the next chapter.**


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